Through the Valley
by Sadie Elfgirl
Summary: Every year on the first of June the twins set out to hunt down their mother's tormentors until one year something goes wrong. Will they survive? Or will they fall into darkness, taking the Hope of Men with them? Complete! Inspired by Someone Reading
1. Yea Though I Walk

**Summary-Every year on the first of June the twins set forth to hunt down their mother's tormentors, until one day, something goes wrong. Will they survive? Or will they fall into darkness, taking the Hope of Men with them?**

**Disclaimer- As always, I sadly do NOT own LOTR, and I make absolutely no money for this work. Boohoo.**

Elladan drew a deep breath of the early morning air. It was damp with humidity; a sticky warmth that promised to turn into wet heat as the sun rose. Birds started their morning song, filling the air with a sweet tune.

Elrohir stood beside his brother in silence as they both gazed out over the beauty of Imladris. Dawn's glowing fingers slowly pushed their way into the hidden valley, spearing through the morning mist. The younger twin swallowed hard past the lump in his throat. The sight of his home always affected him very strongly. Especially today…

The beauty of the elven refuge could not dispell the dark cloud over the twins' souls. Or…Perhaps…Perhaps it was _because_ of the beauty the weight descended upon them so heavily. It was a blackness; something deep, and ugly, and powerful, that clung to them like a second skin.

A rage that had gone so far…

Elladan shook with the power of the emotions that clung to him. He knew. He knew that there was a line he and his brother had crossed. The acts they committed, though just, were leaving their marks. And he was not entirely sure that those marks would fade with time. He knew that they should release the anger that had held them captive for so many years.

He glanced at his brother and saw the same fears etched into Elrohir's eyes. The same fears, and the same unrelenting hatred that burned as brightly as the day it was first kindled.

A day so long ago…

0-0-0-0

_A pitifully delicate creature cringed away from the approaching twins, pressing against the rock face of the cave. The low moaning sound that filled the air bespoke of terror…and it horrified Elladan to hear such a sound coming from his mother._

_Chains much to heavy for her slender limbs held her tightly, and Elrohir wept as he cut them away. Elladan caught her thin frame as she fell forwards, unable to support her own weight_

"_Naneth!" He whispered brokenly as he cradled the elf woman. "Nana…"_

_But she did not respond. Indeed, she did not even seem to see him any more. Her beautiful eyes were dulled…pain and horror filled…_

_0-0-0-0_

Elladan clenched his teeth as the familiar surge of bitter rage pumped through him. His mother was gone. Even the wonderful healing powers of his father, Lord Elrond, had not been able to cleanse her soul. Elladan recalled the long nights after he and his twin had brought her home. Elrond tried…but to no avail. She had gone beyond even his great skill.

Every year, on the day that they had brought her from the orcs' den, Elladan and Elrohir set out from their home. Their weapons were sharp, and their hands were strong. Their rage knew no bounds.

So many orcs had fallen to their blades over the years, and still their thirst for revenge was unsatisfied.

Elrohir touched his brother's shoulder lightly, pulling Elladan from his musings. The elder twin locked eyes with the younger. For a moment, they remained thus.

Elladan smiled tightly. "Are you ready?"

Elrohir returned the smile and nodded. "Let's be off."

As Elrond's firstborn started forward, Elrohir turned, as he always did, and took one look at the last homely house.

And, as always, there was an elf standing at one of the windows watching them leave. Dark hair spilled over his shoulders, held back from his face by delicate braids. Gray eyes seemed to pierce Elrohir. There was a wealth of sadness in those eyes…a depth of grief that only a few could understand…

Elrohir swallowed hard and turned away.

0-0-0-0

Elrond sighed deeply as he watched his son turn and follow Elladan. Another year. Every time the twins left he feared that they would not return. Their anger, combined with the loss of their mother made them reckless.

The elf lord pressed long fingers against the cool glass as if he could reach through the physical barrier and stretch out his hand to his children; as if he could push through the emotional barriers they had erected the night his wife had sailed.

The twins disappeared from Elrond's sight and he let his hand fall from the window.

Celebrian would not have wanted this.

0-0-0-0

Estel's eyes opened with a snap. He sat up in bed, grinning widely. Today was the first of _Norui_.

Every year for as long as the young man could remember, his brothers went on a trip on the first of _Norui_. Beg and tease as he might, they would never allow him to accompany them, nor even tell him where they were going.

Until this year.

Not that they had changed their minds, oh no.

Estel slid from his bed and hurriedly threw on a hunting shirt and some trousers. Picking up a pack he had gotten ready the night before, the slender youth dashed out onto his balcony and scanned the area for the twins…ah. There they were. Elrohir glanced back towards the house and the young human drew in his breath sharply, fearing he had been spotted. But the younger twin did not seem to see his little brother. He turned around and continued after Elladan.

Estel breathed a deep sigh of relief. With a big smile he quickly clambered into the branches of a tree overhanging his railing and made his way towards the ground.

He was thirteen for the love of the Valar! Certainly that must be old enough to travel with them! He had improved with bow and sword…at least, he could hit a fair sized target that wasn't moving, and he could almost hold his own in a sparring match if he was against his brothers and they decided to be lenient.

The dark haired youth snorted softly as his feet touched the ground. Too young, they said. Too inexperienced. Well, he would prove that they were wrong. His silver eyes lit with excitement as he strode after the twins, careful not to make a sound. He would follow them until they were far enough away from Rivendell that they wouldn't send him back. The bouyancy of youth assured him that he would have no trouble tracking two elves without their knowledge of his presence.

A smile touched his lips. He would prove to them that he was ready.

0-0-0-0

Late afternoon light spilled through the trees above them, creating patchy patterns of gold across the forest floor. The twins walked steadily onwards. Each was engrossed with his own thoughts…dwelling on the power that seemed to call them forth every year.

Elladan cocked his head to one side and held out his arm, silently motioning to his twin. Elrohir stopped dead, his hands going automatically to his weapons. Now that he was listening, he could hear the noise that had alerted his brother.

It was not loud…almost unnoticable. The soft panting of someone (or something) who did not want to be found...

Elladan's hand twitched, the fingers pointing towards a clump of thick bushes. Elrohir nodded softly. He too thought that was where the sound was coming from. Silently, the younger twin drew a dagger and moved toward the shrubbery.

Elrond's eldest swiftly pulled his sword free of its' scabbard and caught up with his brother. He did not want to use arrows…not until he knew for sure what it was they were hunting…after all, it could be an animal…

Something in the bushes moved.

Elrohir shot his brother a knowing look.

Not an animal then. Though it was crouched onto all fours, it did not move naturally in such a position. Yet the twins still could not strike. After all, it could be human.

The elves seperated, coming at the shrubbery from two different angles, their weapons at the ready.

There was a loud scuffling as whatever it was suddenly realized that it was being surrounded and tried to make a break for it. Elladan felt a jolt as he saw it was wearing a dark cloak that covered it from head to foot…but it was _too small for a man_!

An orc!

With a snarl, the twin leapt forward. The creature gasped, but rose swiftly and fled. Or…tried to flee. Elladan caught up to him within ten steps.

Rage poured through the elf as he caught his quarry by the shoulder and spun him violently around, weapon poised to plunge into the creature's black heart… "Filthy, murdering, orc scum!"

To his surprise, there was no snarl…no harsh exclamation in the black tongue…but a high pitched, almost childish yelp of pain as the dark haired elf's fingers dug into the monster's shoulder.

The hood of the cloak fell back from his captive's face…

…and instead of a hideous, snarling, yellowed-eyed countenance, Elladan found himself staring into a pale face with dark locks falling around it…and wide silver eyes…

"Estel!" Elladan's mouth dropped in horror. His fingers suddenly grew weak at the thought of what he had almost done to his little brother and his sword fell to the ground with a thud. "Estel…oh, Valar…."

Strength returned to his hand with a vengeance as it closed around the young human's collar. "YOU IDIOT!" Elladan shook Estel hard, his grey eyes burning with anger. "What did you think you were DOING?"

"I…just…wanted…to ….know…where…you….were…going…" Estel tried to speak as his teeth rattled with the force of his older brother's shaking.

Elrohir came up beside his twin, a matching expression of anger marring his fair elven features. "Do you realize what we could have done to you! Eru! Estel, you were almost spitted!"

"I…know…that…"

With a final shake, Elladan released the young human abruptly. Estel stumbled backwards a pace, but managed to stay on his feet. He swallowed hard as he looked from one twin to the other, noticing the identical glares. "I just wanted to come along…"

"There is a reason," Ellandan gritted between clenched teeth, "that we say _no_ every year, Estel. You are too young to come with us!"

The silver eyes flashed with temper. "I'm thirteen years old!"

"Which makes you a very advanced infant," Elrohir said blandly.

The human's face turned a peculiar shade of red at the insult, his small hands closing into fists. "I want to come," he said stubbornly.

"You can't," the twins answered flatly in unison.

"Listen for once, Estel," Elrohir said in a not unkind tone. "What we do now we must do alone, and it is not for your eyes to see. Not for many years to come."

"So turn around and head home," Elladan's voice was a little harsher than his twin's. "You probably have _Ada_ combing Imladris for you by now."

Estel flushed a little as he thought of Elrond's worry. Scowling, he stared at the ground.

Elladan sighed as he gazed at his little brother. It was almost comical really…the thirteen year old was just hitting his growth spurt and was at the point where he seemed to be all arms and legs. The cloak he had taken was too big for his lanky frame and almost pooled around his feet in dark folds. A dagger hung from his belt, but Elladan knew that Estel was _not_ skilled with the weapon at all. The young human was fair with archery, and gifted with swordplay, but if he was ever to wield a dagger he would have to work long and hard.

Estel fidgeted under his brother's stare. Elladan exchanged a wry look with his twin. He understood his little brother's frustration…already he regretted the harsh tone of his voice. His anger stemmed from the shock of nearly stabbing the slender youth. He sighed again. "_Bado bar_, _gwanor nin,_" he said softly. "We will see you when we return."

Without a word, Estel turned and stormed away, his cloak snagging against the bushes as he passed.

Elrohir shook his head as he watched the young one leave. The twin felt a moment of unease when he thought of Estel returning all by himself…but quickly snuffed it out. Estel had, after all come this far on his own, and he was not likely to welcome either of the twins 'babysitting' him all the way home. Especially not now.

"Come on," Elladan said quietly, turning to go.

Elrohir followed him, his mind still dwelling on his younger brother.

0-0-0-0

Estel kicked violently at a tree branch as he passed in an attempt to assuage his frustration. It didn't work. Now he was even more frustrated due to the stinging pain in his toes.

Too young. Too young! Always…_always_, that was what they said. 'You can't go hunting with us, Estel, you are too young.' 'Travel to Lothlorien with us? Oh no, Estel. Wait to come with _Ada. _You are too young to travel without the guards.' 'No, Estel, you can not stay up for the feast, you are too young. You need your sleep.'

Boiling with resentment, the young human temporarily forgot that his brothers were always unfailingly kind to him, and conveniently blocked out the many times the twins had snuck him past the watchful eyes of Lord Elrond so that he could join with them in some pursuit the elf lord would not normally allow one so…young.

The overlarge cloak caught on a branch and held fast, almost strangling the thirteen year old when he did not notice and kept walking. Swearing in Sindarin, he bent to untangle it.

snap

Estel froze at the sound. Slowly, he lifted his dark head…

…only to have his silver eyes lock with the angry yellow glare of a beast he had never seen before, but had heard much about.

It was like a wolf, only bigger. _Much_ bigger. The neck and snout were shorter, giving it a stocky muscular look. A warg.

Estel stared in horror at the monster. At the back of his mind, a little voice was demanding to know how something this big had managed to sneak up on him, but he promptly told it to shut up. He had more important things to worry about. Moving very, _very_ slowly, the boy drew his dagger from his belt and cut his cloak free. Slower still, he straightened from his crouched position, his dagger held at the ready. The silver eyes darted back and forth almost desperately, searching for some means of escape…They fell on the tree that he stood beside…

The warg snarled and crouched, preparing to spring. With a roar, it leapt forward, fangs bared…

0-0-0-0

_Naneth/nana-Mother(mommy) _

_Ada-Father(daddy)_

_Norui-June_

_Bado bar, gwanor nin.-Go home, my brother._

0-0-0-0


	2. Through the Valley

Faster than almost anyone would have believed possible, Estel shot up the trunk of the tree, pulling himself out of reach of the warg's snapping jaws just in time. The cloak snagged once more, holding him within the bottom most branches, barely inches away from the warg's fangs.

With a half-choked snarl, the young human clawed at the cloak's clasp. Undone, it slipped back over his shoulders and fell towards the ground. Estel heaved a sigh of relief and pulled himself higher.

Bereft of his prey, the warg snatched at the discarded cloak. Nothing but the rending of cloth punctuated by irritated snarls could be heard for the next few minutes.

Estel looked down at the beast and shivered slightly, the rush of adrenaline leaving him shaky. He was safe…for the moment. However, he knew that he could not stay in the tree forever. Dark hair swung around his face as he peered through the branches. The monster looked quite content to stay at the bottom of the tree, tearing the cloak into pieces for a very long time.

The teenager felt a stab of unease. What if the warg decided to stay there all night? Estel had never quite gotten the hang of sleeping in trees, though his brothers _had_ tried on numerous occasions to teach him. Eventually, Elrond had forbidden such a practice for the young man on account of the injuries he was sustaining during his attempts.

Unfortunately, he soon realized that this would be the least of his problems.

While the warg ripped and tore at the cloak, several more of the loathsome creatures loped out of the trees' shadows.

Estel felt his heart sink into the bottom of his boots.

One of the newcomers, a particularly large male, strode boldly to the creature that had treed Estel and poked his nose at the torn garment. The first warg growled angrily, but withdrew, letting the larger animal snuffle over the prize.

Estel drew in his breath sharply as he saw the warg look up at him. The monster was hideous, his enormous fangs dripping yellow saliva onto the forest floor. But it was not the creature's looks that sent a stab of fear racing through the young human. It was the eyes. There was an evil intelligence lurking in those eyes… Estel shivered slightly and pulled himself a little higher.

The warg turned his attention away from the slender youth, and snarled at the creatures who accompanied him. Immediately, they positioned themselves around the base of the tree and settled down.

If it was even possible, Estel's heart sank a little lower.

The large warg (who seemed to be the alpha male) caught the shredded remains of the cloak up in his jaws and sprinted away…but the others remained where they were.

'_This,'_ the young human thought as he adjusted his grip slightly, '_Is not a good sign.'_

0-0-0-0

Elladan strode onward grimly. His fair features were set in a hard, stonelike expression, revealing nothing of what burned in his thoughts Elrohir was silent as well, but not, perhaps, for the same reasons. The younger twin's mind was occupied by the human youth they had so recently parted company with. He could not have explained it if he tried…but for some reason he was consumed with a gnawing worry that intensified with every step he took. Something was not right.

Elladan froze suddenly. Jerked from his musings, Elrohir listened intently. For an instant, he thought that Estel had defied them and tried to track them once more. But almost as soon as he thought of it, he discarded the possiblility. No matter how inexperienced he was, the youth _was _quiet for one of his race.

Whatever was coming through the woods was making no attempt to mask its' steps. Or, their steps.

As silent as shadows, the twins melted into the surrounding undergrowth, drawing the hoods of their Lothlorien cloaks down over their faces. Elrohir silently thanked his grandmother, (as he had done many times before) for the gift of the marvelous garments. They made things so much easier.

Very soon, figures became visible to the keen eyes of the young lords. They were stooped, squat things. Thick, long arms and equally thick (if not equally long) legs. Unheeding of the noise they made, they crashed through the forest. Weapons were clenched in their gnarled fists. Elladan made a low gutteral sound in his throat as he saw the group approach.

Orcs.

The elder twin would have leapt forwards at once if his brother had not seized his arm and held him fast.

Furious, Elladan shot an ugly glare at Elrohir. 'What are you doing?' he mouthed. His gray eyes burned with the power of his rage. The hand resting on the hilt of his sword trembled with anticipation. There was an almost hungry look contorting the elf's normally handsome face.

Elrohir, however, noticed none of this. His attention was not on his twin at the moment.

Confused by Elrohir's lack of response, Elladan followed his brother's gaze. He froze. All color seemed to drain from his face, leaving it a sickly gray.

One of the orcs had a torn garment dangling from his hand.

"Elladan," Elrohir whispered so softly that Elrond's firstborn could barely hear him. "That is Estel's cloak."

0-0-0-0

Rashneg hissed softly through his broken and blackened teeth. Had he a choice, he would not be tramping through the woods in broad daylight so close to a known elven refuge. Unfortunately, the choice was not his to make. He snarled as late afternoon sunlight filtered through the trees and hit him full in the face.

While it _was _true that it was his own fault he was here, he ignored the fact. So he had fallen asleep on one (or twenty) watches when he was supposed to be overseeing human slaves. That in and of itself would not have been such a problem had a group of said slaves not decided to escape at exactly that moment. Rashneg sliced at a tree to vent his frustration. Cursed slaves. The goblin king had been furious of course, and Rashneg found himself tracking down the escapees with the promise that unless they were found, there would be an orc skin decorating the king's stone throne.

The orc's clawed hand tightened around the tattered cloak. This was the first sign they had found of the escaped prisoners. His other hand stroked the rough, matted fur of the enormous warg that strode at his side. Taghak, the pack leader had never failed him yet. If there were humans to be found, the warg would sniff them out.

0-0-0-0

Elladan's eyes widened with horror as he watched the orc band stride within a foot of his hiding place. The moment they were passed, he leapt to his feet, Elrohir springing up beside him.

They spoke not a word, but moved after the orcs together, their hearts filled with dread.

0-0-0-0

Estel shifted slightly, grimacing. Trees, he decided sourly, were not at all comfortable things to sit in for long periods of time, no matter what his brothers' said.

Of course, the presence of several large and deadly wargs did not help matters at all.

The teenager glanced upwards through the network of branches anxiously. He could see a small patch of sky, but it did not reassure him. It was turning from blue to an orange and rose color. The sun was setting. Soon it would be dark, and he would be stuck, unable to see whether or not the creatures below had left.

Never before had he wanted his brothers so badly.

The slender youth placed his head against the rough bark of the tree, allowing his dark hair to swing forward and hide his face. To hide the childish tears that threatened to spill from his silver eyes. Now he saw how foolish he had been. The twins were right. He was young, and weak. He snuffled softly, trying to stop the flow, but it was a useless attempt. He was frightened, and alone…and he wanted his brothers! Always, the twins were there for him.

Estel remembered when he had been very small and haunted by nightmares. He would slip from his bed and into Elladan or Elrohir's room. They would hold him. Soothing away a child's fears. They never demanded that he return to his own bed.

A stirring below caught the human's attention. Quickly, he scrubbed away the traces of his tears. Perhaps it was the twins! Perhaps they were coming to rescue him…

His delight turned to horror as he saw orcs emerge from the trees. The one in front held the remains of the boy's cloak. Estel swallowed hard, hoping against hope that they wouldn't look up and see him.

No such luck.

Almost immediately, the leader turned his yellow glare up into the branches of Estel's tree. Catching sight of the boy, he swore viley.

0-0-0-0

Rashneg kicked the ground and swore again. Days of searching for this! One scrawny little whelp! The orc very nearly tore apart what was left of the cloak in frustration.

Taghak butted his blunt nose against his master's hand and growled softly, his eyes drifting hungrily up to the human nestled amongst the branches.

"No," Rashneg shook his head grimly. "Not today, my pet. Though he _is _a sorry catch, he's the only catch we've had. Perhaps he knows where the others are."

The warg snarled nastily, but settled himself at the orc's feet. Rashneg motioned to two of his command and jerked his head at the tree. "Get him down."

0-0-0-0

Estel heard the orc's orders and swallowed hard. He was not safe any longer. Though wargs could not climb trees, the goblins could.

The two below swiftly pulled axes from their belts and stepped forwards.

Or they could simply cut the tree down. As the first blow landed, Estel looked around desperately for some means of escape. There had to be a way! A thought entered his head, but it was so wild…so reckless…

The axes were creating an uneven tempo below and the tree was starting to shiver under the onslaught.

Estel quickly pulled his feet under him and stood, grasping the trunk for support. He would only have one shot at this.

0-0-0-0

Elladan saw his brother stand and his face went from gray to very white. "What does he think he's doing!"

Elrohir opened his mouth to respond but was struck dumb as Estel released the tree trunk and sprinted along the length of the branch.

0-0-0-0

Estel felt his balance faltering as the branch dipped under his weight. It was now or never. He leapt forwards.

For one horrible second he was totally free falling. The wind whistled in his ears and his stomach seemed to have been left behind. The youth stretched out his fingers…just in time to snag a branch from the neighboring tree. He hung by one hand, grinning insanely. It worked! Now all he had to do was pull himself up and continue to do this until he reached Rivendell.

Unfortunately, the branch had other plans.

There was a horrible crack. Estel felt the color drain from his face as he realized what that meant. Moments later he was falling toward the ground.

0-0-0-0

Rashneg shook his head as his orcs muscled the young boy over to their leader. These humans were all the same. Impulsive, reckless, and stupid. A look of loathing crept across his twisted features as the youth was forced to his knees before him. Cursed humans. Oh, how he hated them. Of course, they had their uses, (slave labor and so on) but he detested the very sight of the lad kneeling at his feet.

The boy was struggling for breath, the fall having knocked the wind out of him. His head fell forward as he gasped. Apparently, he did not have the strength to keep it raised.

With a growl, Rashneg gripped the dark locks roughly and tipped the human's face upwards. A bruise was forming across one cheek, and blood trickled from the corner of the young one's mouth. Wide silver eyes stared back at him. Emotion flickered within their depths. Fear, and to Rashneg's surprise, anger.

There was something strange about this human. Something that made the orc very uneasy. Almost…afraid.

As soon as he even thought the word, Rashneg's anger rose. Afraid! Afraid of what! This whelp? The boy did not even look like he had reached fifteen years of age. He was a gawky child, nothing more. Rashneg back-handed him savagely, just to vent his feelings.

Though the blow must have hurt, the teenager did not make a sound. Rashneg caught the youth's chin with his broken nails. "Tell me, maggot," he growled nastily. "Where are the others?"

Confusion danced through the silver eyes. "I do not know what you are talking about."

0-0-0-0

The twins had frozen momentarily when they had seen Estel plummet towards the ground.

Elrohir broke first and surged forwards, drawing his weapons even as the orcs dragged his little brother towards their leader. Elladan followed swiftly, choking back a cry of rage as he saw Estel take a blow. Now was not the time for noise. They were badly outnumbered and their one advantage lay in speed. If they could strike deep into the group before the orcs realized what was happening, there was a good chance they would be able to seize Estel and flee.

0-0-0-0

Estel realized almost as soon as the words left his mouth that that wasn't what the orc wanted to hear. A second blow to the other side of his face left him dizzy. He sagged against the arms of the monsters that held him, trying desperately to fight off the blackness that threatened to drag him down.

"I'll ask you one more time, slave." The twisted creature in front of him gripped his chin once more. Estel winced as the nails dug into tender flesh. Confusion reigned through his mind. What on Arda was it talking about? What others?

"Apparently, your brief spell of freedom has made you forget your place," the orc said cruelly, a smile twisting his features even more. "When you are addressed, you are to answer quickly. Perhaps you need a lesson?"

There was a ripple of black laughter at those words. Estel felt a shiver of unease. He didn't know what kind of 'lesson' the thing had in mind, but he didn't think that he would enjoy it very much.

"Yes." Rashneg waved the two orcs holding Estel's arms away as he reached down and caught hold of the young man's tunic. He brought the youth to his feet with a jerk. "I think a lesson might be just what you need."

Estel could not repress a shudder of dread as he looked into the orc's eyes and saw the gleam of cruel pleasure.

0-0-0-0

The twins struck hard at the group of orcs, their blades gleaming in an intricate dance of death. So quick and silent was their attack that three orcs had fallen to their weapons before the rest even realized they were there.

An orc turned to make some comment to his companion and was confronted with the sight of Elladan wrenching his sword from a crumpled carcass. The creature barely had time to squeal before the same sword took his head, but it was enough.

Elorhir ducked under an ill aimed swipe and promptly extinguished his enemy's life with a swift thrust. Not even looking at the orc he had killed, the younger twin spun to face his next opponent. His gray eyes narrowed to slits as the heat of blood lust pounded through his veins. The force of his hatred for the vile creatures almost drove Estel from his mind. Instead, another figure rose within the red mist that seemed to fall before his eyes.

An elf woman with flowing blond hair.

With a ferocious shout, the young elf lord threw himself into battle.

0-0-0-0

Estel heard a choked cry and saw his captor look up sharply. The orc's jaw dropped open and his eyes went wide. More cries filled the air, along with the sound of steel clashing on steel.

There was a shout, and the boy felt his heart swell with hope. He recognized that voice! His brothers were here!

Swiftly, Rashneg spun Estel around so that the youth's back was pressed against the orc's chest. One black arm encircled itself around Estel's shoulders in a bruisingly tight hold, the other pressed a dagger up under the soft skin of the boy's chin. "Move an inch," he hissed into Estel's ear, "and I'll pin your tongue to the roof of your mouth."

Estel didn't make a sound. His eyes were fixed on his brothers.

The hope he had felt faded, to be replaced by a sick sense of horror.

He had never seen the twins fight before. There was a horrible ferocity in their movements; an almost _gleeful_ look burning in their eyes. It struck him that they were _enjoying_ what they did. As soon as the thought rose he banished it. It wasn't possible. Not his brothers. Not the same elves who always stressed how important life was.

To kill was neccesary, they had told him. For food, when killing animals. For safety, when your opponents were orcs, or men. Or elves. But what they did now did not follow with what they had taught him since he could lift a sword. The fanatical gleam in their eyes repulsed him more than he thought was possible.

A sudden realization caused the young man to choke. Was _this_ what they did every _Norui_? Then they were correct. He was far too young.

"HALT!" Rashneg bellowed. "Stop right there, elf scum, or this little squeaker gets a knife through his throat."

Estel half expected his brothers to ignore the orc and continue with their slaughter. To his surprise, as the orcs pulled away, the twins lowered their weapons. Elladan caught his gaze, and for the first time in his life, Estel could not hold it. He dropped his eyes to the ground. Shame washed over him. They were his brothers…but he could not force himself to look up. Not after what he had witnessed.

0-0-0-0

Elladan lifted his sword, pointing it at the young man. "Give us your captive, and we will let you live, orc." Blood thundered in his ears as he felt the familiar rage coursing through him. His hand tightened on the sword hilt.

Elrohir stood next to him, breathing hard, his limbs trembling. Not with exhaustion, but with the dark emotion he shared with his twin. His gray eyes swept over the lines of orcs. An almost hungry look crept across his fair elven features.

Rashneg had not moved. Elladan took a step forward, ignoring the way the orcs raised their weapons. "Now, filth. Give him to us."

Rashneg laughed harshly. "Not a chance, elf. He's ours." The orc tightened his grip on Estel slightly. "If you want him, you'll have come up with something of value to trade."

Elladan's knuckles turned white around his sword hilt. "Scum," he hissed between clenched teeth. "The human is under the protection of Rivendell. Unless you release him you will bring the full wrath of the Elves down upon your evil head."

"The elves are too quick to protect that which is not theirs," Rashneg snarled nastily. "The boy is an escaped slave and my king will not be pleased if I do not return with him and his companions."

The young elf lord's face turned a very unusual shade of red as his temper shot to the limits of his restraint. Isildur's heir? An orc _slave_! "You…" Elladan stepped forward again, fully intent on engaging the monsters once more…but then he caught sight of Estel's face.

The human was gazing at his brother with a look of sick horror, and Elladan had the distinct impression that _he_ was responsible for the emotion. It froze him in place. The reality of what he and Elrohir had just done was brought home to him in the few seconds that Estel met his eyes.

Swiftly, the youth averted his gaze once more. Elladan felt sick. He remembered the fierce surge of joy as he slew the orcs; the pleasure he took in their pain. Suddenly, he could see through Estel's eyes, and he did not like the picture.

Elrohir stiffened beside him, and Elladan knew that his twin realized what had just happened. Even now, Elrond's firstborn admitted to himself, he had been prepared to enter into battle once more. Even though Estel's life was on the line.

Slowly, the dark haired elf lowered his blade. Too far. They had gone too far.

"_Gohena nin, gwanor tithen,"_ he whispered softly.

Estel's head shot up, his silver eyes wide.

0-0-0-0

Estel fastened his eyes on Elladan, hardly daring to believe what he had just heard. In all his thirteen years, he had never heard his elder brother ask him for forgiveness. The elf's fierce eyes had softened, losing their blood lust. An expression of deepest remorse was spreading across his fair features.

Elrohir straightened from his ready position, his weapons held loosely.

A change had swept over the two elves in the space of seconds.

Estel swallowed hard, feeling the orc's blade scrape against his throat. "_U-moe edhored gohena."_

"Stop your filthy elf speak!" Rashneg tightened his grip across Estel's shoulders painfully.

"What would you have, spawn of Mordor?" Elladan's deep voice quickly captured the orc's attention.

0-0-0-0

Rashneg smiled evilly. If these elves were so willing to protect the human, there was a way to win back the favor of his king. "In exchange for the whelp?" His smile grew just a little wider. "My king would be most pleased to have two strong elves amongst his personal slaves."

He felt the young one stiffen with shock. Obviously, he hadn't been expecting that. And he wasn't the only one. A surprised mutter rippled through his own group.

The elves, however, did not seem caught unawares. Their faces remained calm. Cold. Without a word, the one who had been talking let his sword fall to the ground.

Rashneg jerked his head, and several of his orcs pulled forth bows and arrows, keeping the twins covered as they proceeded to disarm themselves.

0-0-0-0

Estel mouth dropped open as he watched Elrohir pull his quiver of arrows from his back. What on Arda was happening? They could not do this! They could not trade themselves for him!

The dagger at his throat slowly began to slip away as Rashneg's attention was drawn to the young elf lords. Estel silently twisted his head to one side, away from the razor sharp blade as a plan formed in his mind…

0-0-0-0

Elrohir drew the last dagger from his boot and started to lay it on the ground. A tingling feeling of sudden dread swept over him without warning. His eyes shot up and locked with Estel's.

That look in the boy's eyes…it was the same look he had worn moments before when he leapt from the tree. (very similar, the elf noticed, to the look that had creapt over the young man's face when he had hidden Glorfindel's sword, drawn rabbits in Elrond's books, and painted a very imaginative scene on the tiles of the garden path involving Elladan and a kitchen maid.) It was the look that proclaimed to the world that Isildur's heir was about to do something incredibly stupid.

Elrohir snatched his dagger up once more just as Estel bit deeply into his captor's arm, simultaneously kicking his boot back into the creature's knee. The orc howled in pain and released the young boy as chaos erupted…

0-0-0-0

_Gohena nin, gwanor tithen-Forgive me, little brother_

_U-moe edhored gohena- There is nothing to forgive._

0-0-0-0


	3. Of the Shadow of Death

Startled by their leaders cry, the orc archers released their arrows. Not even orcs could fail to hit at least one target at such a close range.

Elladan cried out as his hand went automatically to the shaft protruding from his shoulder. As the orcs leapt towards the wounded elf, Elrohir sprang to his brother's defense.

The younger twin's mouth was set in a hard grim line as he slashed one of the groping hands. He had only one short dagger to fight with, and no brother to guard his back. It was only a matter of time before he was overcome.

An orc plunged forward, his hand outstretched to take hold of the elf. Elrohir twisted his upper body to one side and siezed the hand as he plunged the dagger up into the creatures ribs. He could hear Estel's voice rise over the clamour of the orcs and his heart twisted momentarily. The dark haired elf fervently hoped that Estel was free of his captor…

For a moment, the seething mass of orcs shifted enough that Elrohir could catch a glimpse of his little brother. He nearly groaned.

Estel _was_ free of the orc that had been holding a blade to his throat. Unfortunately, the human was engaged in combat with another of the creatures.

0-0-0-0

Estel held his dagger stiffly, clumsily blocking the blow his opponent aimed at his head. The sheer force of the orc nearly drove the wiry thirteen year old to his knees. The monster laughed evilly as he heard his prey gasp in pain. Estel ground his teeth together hard, suppressing a bubble of panic that rose up within him. His silver gaze darted around the orc's bulk, desperately searching for his brothers…as his eyes fell on them, the bubble swelled alarmingly. Elrohir had only a small dagger to fight with , and Elladan… the elder twin was on his knees, one hand clutching at an arrow protruding from his shoulder.

Estel quickly dove to the side as his foe swung at him again. The human knew he could not block many blows with his spindly arms, and he did not wish to wear himself out. Surprised that the youth had evaded him, the orc snarled and pressed forward, swinging wildly. Estel ducked under the blade and thrust blindly at the stinking mass rushing toward him. In later years, the young man was forced to admit that the Valar must not have hated him so very much after all. There was a thud, and Estel opened his eyes to see the orc had fallen backwards, dead.

The dagger in his small hand was coated with black blood.

"_Estel!"_ Elrohir's voice rose in clear tones above the clamour of his battle. Estel nearly choked as he looked up. Elrohir was surrounded. The orcs were closing in, all of their attention fixed upon the elf, who was already bleeding freely from a jagged cut across his forearm.

"_Drego, Estel! Drego Imladris!"_ Clawed hands took hold of Elrohir's arms, wresting his weapon away from him. "_**Drego!**"_

The youth wavered, realizing the importance of someone reaching Imladris…but unable to abandon his brothers. Elrohir caught his eye as the young elf lord kicked out viciously at his captors. A spark of anger kindled in his grey eyes as he realized Estel had not obeyed him.

"_Bado!"_ he cried out once more, before he was finally borne to the ground under a black heap of orcs.

Choking back a sob, the slender youth fled into the woods.

0-0-0-0

Rashneg pulled himself up against a tree, grinding his teeth in pain. Curse the human! The orc glanced down at his knee and grimaced. It was already swollen. Just wait until he got his fingers around that little weasle's neck…Speaking of which, where was he? The two elves, both unconscious, were being bound, but the boy was nowhere to be seen.

"Tend to that," Rashneg snarled nastily, motioning toward Elladan's skewered shoulder. "I don't want him bleeding to death before we get home." Several orcs leapt to do his bidding as Rahsneg surveyed the remains of his command. His eyes narrowed dangerously. Incredible. Two elves had decimated his ranks down to fifteen unwounded orcs and five wargs. He had possibly twenty orcs, if he counted all that still drew breath, but the injured were of little use to him. "Where is the human?"

Blank stares greeted his question, accompanied by stony silence. "Well?" Rahsneg pushed himself away from the tree, ignoring the pain that shot through his leg. His yellow eyes burned with a cruel fire. "Find him. You, you, and you," he motioned to three orcs. "Take the wargs. Bring him back alive." The orc leader knelt by Taghak and stroked the animal's head. "Alive, pet. You can have your fun later."

0-0-0-0

Estel ran until he could run no more. Tripping, the teenager fell flat on his face and could not force himself to rise. Instead, he lay, sobbing for breath and muttering every curse and swear word he had ever heard pass his brothers' lips. He cursed the orcs, but himself more. All this was _his_ fault! His fault his brothers were captured. If only he had stayed home as they had told him to!

Slowly, he pulled himself up onto his hands and knees. His limbs were trembling with fatigue. He could not concentrate on how tired he was. His brothers needed his help. Sweat dripped down his pale face. The cut on his lip throbbed annoyingly, and he felt stupid and slow witted.

With a groan, he raised himself to his feet and stumbled forward once more. The sun would not be in the sky very much longer now, and once it was dark he would be at a severe disadvantage.

Not for the first time in his life, he wished for elven eyesight.

0-0-0-0

Taghak snuffled against the forest floor. He and the other four wargs were spread out, their noses pressed against the ground, searching for the human's scent. The orcs walked behind them. Useless, as usual.

Taghak snarled softly in warning as one of the orcs came too near. He did not suffer the companionship of fools lightly. The only reason he obeyed his master was that Rashneg had a way of seeing to it that the warg was well fed, and his cruel nature satisfied with the human slaves. No other orc dared touch the large male.

A sudden whiff caught the warg's interest. He froze, concentrating.

There it was again. Stronger now.

It it were possible, an evil smile would have twisted the animal's countenance.

0-0-0-0

Something snapped beneath Estel's feet, bringing the boy halfway out of his stupor. He glanced down, and his eyes widened considerably. Had he been half as alert as he usually was, there was no way he would have wandered across such a poorly concealed trap.

Apparently, a hunter at some time had used the natural, shallow ravine as a snare…but it was a snare that had never been sprung. Branches and leaves covered the hole enough so that it would not be readily apparent to animals. Thanking the Valar that he weighed so little, Estel carefully stepped backwards, intending to go around.

A soft snarl interrupted the youth's thoughts.

Estel whirled around, only to be confronted by five wargs. The large male, Taghak, strode forwards slowly, his lips drawn back from yellowed fangs. The other creatures fanned out as they approached their prey.

"Nice, evil creatures," Estel muttered softly, as he reached for his dagger. Though his movements were calm and not hurried, the lead warg growled in warning. The slender youth froze, his fingers touching the dagger hilt.

Once again, panic threatened to overtake him. The animals had him almost surrounded. His only weapon was the dagger in his belt, which he could not draw without being attacked.

0-0-0-0

Taghak's eyes glowed with cruel pleasure as he saw the fear in the young one's eyes. This was the moment he loved. The point in time when his prey realized that they were defenseless and had no hope.

Alive, his master had said.

Alive left so much room for imagination.

The warg snarled again as he saw the youth try to reach for the dagger once more. The silver eyes grew even wider than before. The slender fingers that had been groping for the blade's hilt shook uncontrollably. Ah, the smell of fear. It was almost addictive.

But wait…what was this? The warg wrinkled his nose as another scent struck his nostrils. It came from the human, of that much he was sure. And he didn't like it. He had never smelled something like this before.

It smelled like…elves. But not quite. It was almost a mixture of elves and human, the result being a smell that caused the warg no small amount of distress. In his mind, there was only one way to purge the offending odor.

Taghak crouched low, preparing to leap at the youth. The rest of the pack took their lead from him and moved in swiftly, eyes glowing with excitement.

In the moment before he sprang, the warg looked deeply into the human's eyes, expecting to feed on the fear he would see…

But something else had changed.

The fear! The fear was gone. So shocked, was he, he hesitated, and one of the others leapt towards the youth.

0-0-0-0

A spark of something as yet untouched flickered deep within the boy's soul. A strength inherent. His fear vanished as he looked on the warg.

His brothers had been placed in harms way because of his actions. They needed help. The only way for them to receive it was to go through the beasts that threatened him.

The warg in front of him prepared to leap. The youth could see the others closing in out of the corners of his eyes. With lightning speed, Estel whipped the dagger from his belt and thrust his arm out to his right, holding it rigidly stiff. Moments later, he felt as if his arm had broken as a warg impaled itself on his blade and drove the young one to the ground. Estel fought desperately against the dead weight of the warg's carcass, kicking himself free just in time to greet another of the animals as it came over the body of its' comrade. With a wild slash, Estel drove the beast back a step. It bought him enough breathing space to come to his feet.

The four remaining wargs came forward as one, their teeth bared.

Fortunately for Estel, the beasts were too large to be most effective grouped together as they were. Still, they proved to be quite effective enough.

As they charged, Estel turned and fled. An idea was forming within the human's mind.

A perfect monster of a tree loomed in front of him. The trunk had to have been several spear lengths thick, and Valar knew how many around. As he reached the tree, the boy darted to the right, daring a glance over his shoulder as he did so. He almost smiled.

0-0-0-0

Taghak saw what the human intended and would have grinned had he been capable. The youth meant to keep them circling the tree. It was so large and thick that the boy could dart away at any moment and then they would lose time tracking him again. With a snarl, Taghak nipped at the warg next to him, indicating it should head towards the right, along with one of the others. He would head toward the left with the last member of his pack.

They would catch the little upstart between them.

0-0-0-0

Estel saw the wargs split and he did smile. Perfect. Now he had only a few seconds, but it could be enough. With four, he wouldn't have stood a chance, but two…two he might be able to handle.

He spun on one boot and leapt at the charging wargs, dagger raised. The surprise at such a move gave him the advantage he so desperately needed. Both animals wasted time trying to stop, and before their tiny brains could assimilate what was happening, Estel was on them.

One foot lashed out viciously, catching a beast on its nose. There was a most satisfying 'crunch', and the warg howled in pain. At the same time, the boy thrust his weapon deep into the other's throat. Blood gushed in a sticky hot wave over Estel's hand, and the animal crashed to the ground.

Driven to new heights of rage by its' injury, the remaining warg launched itself at the human's throat.

Estel hit the ground hard, the beast very firmly atop him. Teeth flashed, and it would have buried its' fangs in the boy's soft flesh had he not punched it as hard as he could on its' already bleeding snout.

The warg took the time to howl anew, and therefore sealed its' fate. Estel plunged his dagger into the smelly bulk that threatened to crush him where he lay, burying it up to the hilt.

With an almost foolish look of bafflement on its' face, the warg toppled over onto its' side. Dead.

The human pushed himself away from the carcass and dragged himself to his feet wearily. Two down, two to go. As if on cue, Taghak and the other warg rounded the tree, fangs bared.

They did not even slow at the sight of their slain packmates.

Estel slashed once, catching one warg across its' ugly face. Then Taghak was upon him. The leader did not pause, but lunged swiftly. The only thing that spared Estel was his left arm as he threw it up to guard his face. Instead of sinking his teeth into the boy's throat, Taghak bit down hard on the limb. The youth cried out in pain and kicked, catching the warg beneath the ribs.

Taghak released Estel's arm with a yelp. The human did not wait around, but turned and fled back the way he had come. Ignoring his wounded packmate, Taghak bounded after his quarry.

Estel forced his legs to keep moving. Forced his screaming lungs to draw in air. Adrenaline was keeping him going at the moment, but he knew that he couldn't last forever. If only he could see! Twilight had passed and night was settling into the woods. Not very comforting for someone who was being chased by a bloodthirsty beast.

A very large something seemed to materialize beneath the boy's feet, tripping him. Estel fell face forward with a gasp. Pain flared from his wounded arm, but he valiantly pushed it back. The pungent smell that filled his nostrils informed him that he had fallen over the carcass of the first warg he had killed.

A ray of hope flickered.

Estel could hear Taghak drawing near. With enormous effort, he pulled himself to his feet and rushed forward, listening intently.

'snap'

There. The ground gave beneath his feet slightly, and the youth smiled. Now all he had to do was make it to the other side of the hunter's snare. The warg was too heavy for the ancient trap. He would crash through, and Estel would be free to make his way back to Rivendell.

Without warning, something extremely heavy slammed into his back. Estel was knocked to his knees. He cried out as he felt teeth tear into his shoulder.

The branches beneath him splintered under the sudden onslaught of weight.

With a cry, and a snarl, the boy and warg disappeared into the hole.

0-0-0-0

"They have to be here somewhere. Taghak was right pleased with what he smelled."

"Aye. Then he went haring off and the rest followed him, curse their lousy hides. Now we're stuck tracking the trackers."

"Quiet, both of you. What's that?"

"What?"

"Where?"

"There. That."

"It's one of the wargs."

"What happened to it?"

"Dead. It's been stabbed."

"The little squeaker had a dagger on him."

"Where's the rest of them?"

"Aye. Where's Taghak?"

"Here comes one. Murgh, you foul dog, come here."

"What happened to _him_?"

"Looks pretty obvious to me. He got himself a nice slash across the face. Didn't you Murgh? Hold still, dratted animal, let me look at it. If you bite me, it will probably be the last thing you do."

"What's that?"

"Looks like a hole."

"That's not an animal hole. It was made by something. A hunter's trap."

"What did it catch today, I wonder?"

"By the eye!"

"Oh no."

"Rashneg won't be happy about this. He wanted the boy alive."

The three orcs turned away, already squabbling over who would be the unfortunate one to deliver the bad news. Murgh sniffed lightly at the edge of the hole, then recoiled sharply as the scent of death stung his nostrils. The warg loosed a mournful howl of farewell to his leader before turning and following the orcs into the night.

0-0-0-0

_Drego, Estel! Drego Imladris!- Flee, Estel! Flee (to) Imladris!_

_Bado!- Go!_

0-0-0-0


	4. I Shall Fear No Evil

Elladan opened his eyes slowly, noticing with a detached sort of amusement that one of the orcs had seen fit to hang a mirror three inches from his face. Hmmm. His hair was messy. And there was a large bruise across one eyebrow. How had that gotten there?

He started to lift his hands to touch his forehead, but was halted as he realized they were bound together in front of him.

Not a mirror then.

"Elrohir?"

His twin cracked a small and rather thin looking smile. "You were expecting someone else?"

"One can always hope." The dark haired elf chuckled softly, but stopped and drew in his breath sharply as a fiery needle of pain stabbed through his shoulder. Glancing down, he could see a rough (and rather dirty) cloth bound tightly around it.

Ah yes. Now everything was coming back.

Worried grey eyes fixed on Elrohir's face. "Estel?"

Elrohir shook his head, his features drawn and pale. "He managed to run, but they sent the wargs after him. Neither have returned yet."

Elldan sighed softly. "Foolish boy. Brave, but foolish. He should have known we had no intention of _staying_ in captivity. This makes everything much more…difficult."

"Aye." Elrohir shot a concerned look at his twin. "How does your shoulder feel?"

"It feels as though it has had a narrow shaft of wood topped with a sharp piece of stone forcibly thrust through it. How do you _think_ it feels!"

The younger twin almost chuckled. If Elladan was whining, the wound wasn't that serious. It was only when the elf kept insisting he was fine that something was _really_ wrong.

0-0-0-0

Rashneg paced in annoyance. What was taking them so long? Taghak should have tracked the little filth in half this amount of time. The orc captain growled soft curses in his horrible tongue, his hands clenching tightly as he considered what he would do to the human when he got his claws on him. He might have gotten what he wanted, but even so he certainly had no intention of letting the worm off.

He scowled down at his rapidly swelling yes. That boy would pay dearly for this. His frown deepened as he thought back to their short encounter, and those eyes. Those strange eyes that should have held nothing but terror, and yet...there was definitely something about the youth that disturbed him deeply.

The soft sound of something approaching brought the orc out of his musings. He turned to see the three orcs he had sent out after Estel.

"Well?" his voice was cold. "It took you long enough. Where's the boy?"

The look that flickered between the three was enough to alert Rashneg that all was not right. "What is it? What happened?"

A single warg padded up. Blood dripped down its' snout. A long gash cut across its' face from ear to jaw.

"Taghak picked up the scent and ran ahead," one orc said hesitantly. "He ran too fast and we couldn't keep up. So we had to track him."

"When we caught up, all the wargs but Murgh were dead," another took up the tale. " It looked like the boy killed three of them, then he and Taghak fell into a hunter's snare." The orc's eyes shifted nervously before he swallowed hard and finished his tale. "They're both dead too."

"Get out of my sight!" Rashneg hissed venomously and watched as they scattered. It was amazing. Four wargs taken out by a human boy. However, the episode was not as bad as it could have been.

At least the boy was dead.

Not only was the boy dead, he had two new elf slaves for his king. That should placate the old orc.

His yellow eyes drifted over to his captives. They were awake, and talking to each other. A cruel smile curled at the corners of his lips.

This whole fiasco had been a nightmare. It was time for a little fun.

0-0-0-0

Elladan nudged his brother. "We are about to have company."

Elrohir's shoulders tensed, but he made no other sign that he had heard his twin.

Rashneg strode over, an evil leer pasted over his features. Behind him, the rest of the orcs quickly gathered, sensing something to their liking was about to take place.

"Wonderful, aren't they?" Rashneg's eyes drifted over the twins as if they were cattle he wished to purchase. "Have fun boys. But remember, control yourselves. They still have to make fairly attractive gifts to our king. And I don't think any of you want to be on that goblin's bad side."

Before the orcs could move, the elven twins leapt up and placed themselves back to back. Elladan hissed slightly as his shoulder was jostled by the movement. His grey eyes narrowed dangerously.

An adventurous orc stepped forwards, a club hanging from one gnarled hand. He raised it with a whoop of sick joy, and rushed the bound elves. Within two seconds, he was flat on his back, gasping his life away as Elladan's foot crushed his windpipe.

As if operating on some secret signal, the remaining orcs rushed forward en masse. The twins struggled, but they could not overcome so many, especially while bound.

Elladan found himself being forced to his knees, grinding his teeth together as twisted nails dug into his wounded shoulder. His bound hands were jerked up above his head, and a rope was attached to them. The rope was flung over a branch, the other end tying Elrohir into a similar position.

As Elladan watched, the orcs prodded the remaining warg forward. Urging him to attack the younger twin.

The warg leapt, and Elrohir quickly dodged, pulling the rope that attached him to his brother taut.

Elladan tried not to make a sound, but it quickly became too much. The pressure from his captor's hands, combined with the pull of the rope on his wound forced a groan from his lips. He prayed that Elrohir would not hear, but his hope was vain. Elrond's second born froze on the spot, his horrified gaze fastened on his brother.

Seeing the elf stationary, Murgh bounded forward once more.

"Elrohir!" Elladan struggled against the arms holding him. "_Move!_"

But the elf would not.

"No!" Elladan stared in horror as the beast leapt. Moments before the monster hurtled into the young elf lord, its' outstreched claws sliced through the rope attached to Elrohir. Elladan nearly sobbed as he saw the warg carry his brother to the ground. The line that had connected them swung limply back and forth. There were sounds of a scuffle, followed by a sharp cry that was quickly cut off.

"Back!" Another orc drove Murgh away from Elrohir's limp form.

Elrond's eldest tried to pull away from his captors, desperately craning his head to get a look at his twin. Two of the twisted creatures were bent over the elf…they straightened up with Elrohir held between them.

Blood streamed from the dark haired elf's shoulder, and a rough abrasion marred his cheek. Otherwise, he looked unharmed. His eyes found his brother's and a weak smile pulled at the corner's of his mouth.

"I could have taken the pain, Ro," Elladan mouthed, knowing his brother could read lips.

The smile on Elrohir's face widened. "_Iston,_" he mouthed back. "But so can I."

The next moment, an orc's fist found it's way to Elladan's jaw, and from that point on, the elf concentrated only on holding his silence.

0-0-0-0

It was some time later when Elrohir realized he was finding it hard to catch his breath. Perhaps it had something to do with the number of times he had been struck in the midriff. 'Oh, that could be it,' a voice in his head that sounded remarkably like his brother commented sarcastically. He was attempting to think up a suitable come back, when another blow to his burning abdomen distracted him.

The orcs had been quite thorough in their punishment, never concentrating on one place long enough to cause serious damage, but instead taking turns hitting everywhere almost equally. 'So nice to have a well-rounded beating for once.' The younger twin almost snarled at the wry voice in his head, before thinking that it might look a tad bit silly to get frusterated with his own mind. The voice burst into uproarious laughter at this thought, then dubbed him completely insane in a tone that was definitely Elladan.

This last comment was slightly over shadowed by the pain that shot up his leg as an iron boot connected with his thigh. Elrohir gasped slightly, then gathered his composure for the next blow. However, it looked as if the orcs had finally tired of their sport. Or, they were ordered to halt. He didn't know which.

Neither did he care at the moment. He sagged between the orcs that held his arms, focusing on breathing and praying to the Valar that Elladan had fared better than he.

A hand caught at his chin, lifting his head.

Elrohir found himself eye to eye with Rashneg. He was surprised by the look of sheer frustration etched across the orc's features.

0-0-0-0

Rashneg nearly snarled as he looked down at the elf. They were all the same! Them and their cursed control! He didn't dare allow his boys any more play time, things could get ugly very quickly. However, this was unsatisfying.

Even their eyes were calm, he thought in disgust as he glared at Elrohir. What would it take to shatter their composure? To see even a brief flash of pain cross their features?

"So elf. Think you'll like a lifetime as a slave?" He gave the fair face a little shake. "Will you enjoy living forever underground, never near your precious trees and stars..." The orc had hoped to prey on what he'd heard was an elven weakness, but the creature before him continued to stare straight ahead without even a flinch. He decided to try a different attack.

"Never see your friends or family again." Aha. He'd seen the grey eyes flick toward the other elf in concern before the mask dropped again. So they cared about each other at least.

The inkling of a cruel idea pushed itself into his mind, along with a flash of insightfulness that made it even more harsh. If they were concerned with the well-being of one another, then they probably also worried about...

"The human," he said softly. Ah. Now he had their attention. Elrohir's eyes widened slightly, and even Elladan raised his head. "You were his protectors, weren't you?" He sneered. "Maybe even his friends." Though the orc would never know how closely he had hit his mark, he could see the effect his words had on the elves.

"Do you know why my orcs returned without him?"

There. A dawning realization. Growing horror. It was beautiful.

"He's dead."

Lovely. The way the pain just made the grey ice of their eyes shatter into a million pieces was poetry. Rashneg released Elrohir's chin and felt a grin tug at the corners of his mouth.

_This _was satisfying.

0-0-0-0

The twins sat side by side, their backs against a tree, drawing comfort from each other's presence. They spoke not a word. There were no words to express the level of guilt that flowed through them.

All their fault.

Had they not carried their vengeance so far, this would not have happened.

So many years. So many years with the ugly weight of their hatred following their every step…and now because of it, the one they treasured was taken from them. They remembered the look on Estel's face when he had glimpsed the depths of their rage. To think that the most dark and horrific side of them was the last memory their little brother had carried beyond the circles of Arda tore at their souls

Elladan sighed softly, holding back the tears that threatened to flow down his fair cheeks. He felt Elrohir shudder next to him and knew that his twin fought the same battle.

Slowly, Elrond's sons slipped into sleep. A sleep of dreams. Of old memories long forgotten...

0-0-0-0

_"Nana."_

_Golden hair drifted over Elladan's face and he whimpered softly. There were dark things in the night. He was afraid of them. A face appeared above him. It was a beautiful face. Fair, though her children all had the dark hair of their father. Almost violet eyes. Long lashes._

_"Nana."_

_"Yes, I'm here, pen tithen. I'm here."_

_"Ro."_

_"Your brother sleeps on, there, in his bed. Only you have awakened at this late hour." Slender hands reached down, lifted the small elfling from his cradle, and placed him on her lap. With a sigh of contentment, the dark haired babe leaned against his mother's shoulder. Surely no dark things could exist when Nana was there._

_Another whimper broke the stillness of the room. Surprised, the elf woman lifted her child and crossed to the identical cradle. There, bound in dark dreams lay an elfling that looked almost exactly like the one she held in her arms._

_"Ro!" Elladan reached pudgy fingers toward his twin, fear creeping back into his voice. Celebrian bent and touched her younger son, caressing his smooth baby cheek._

_Elrohir woke with a start. Tears filled his large grey eyes as he looked up and saw his mother and brother. Without a word, he lifted his small arms in a mute appeal._

_An appeal Celebrian answered immediately. Sinking down beside his cradle, the elf woman pulled her son into her lap to join his twin. "Tell me, little ones, what troubles your dreams this night? It is not like you."_

_"Dark things," Elladan whispered, cuddling close to his mother. Elrohir nodded in solemn agreement. _

_"Evil," the younger elfling said quietly._

_Celebrian's arms tightened around her young ones protectively. "There, there, iyn nin. They cannot hurt you. You are safe here. Ada and I will always protect you. Do not fear the evil."_

_The twins nodded against her. She sat with them for a long time, until she saw their eyelids drooping. Gently, she lifted Elrohir into his cradle, and, after a moments hesitation, allowed Elladan to climb in as well._

_Sleep pulled at Elladan as he listened to his mother leave. She was right. Nothing could harm him. He would not fear the evil. Never would he fear it. _

_Slumber was still tugging at him, but as the last of his fears dissipated a slightly more nebulous part of his dream drifted to the front of his mind._

_"Something else, Ro," he said sleepily._

_Elrohir nodded, half gone already. "Boy."_

_"Needs help." The elder twin stuffed his fist into one eye in an attempt to rub away the drowziness that threatened to overtake him. "Boy needs help."_

_Elrohir's eyes were already closed, but he nodded again and yawned. _

_"Estel."_

_Elladan frowned sleepily. Yes. That had been the boy's name. The boy who was lying in a hole. He was hurt, and he needed help. Estel._

0-0-0-0

Elladan woke with a jerk, shock racing through his system at the ancient memory re-awakened. Elrohir met his gaze and the two stared at each other for a full minute without making a sound.

0-0-0-0

And in a hole in the ground, Estel opened his eyes.

0-0-0-0

_Iston- I know_

_Pen tithen-Little one_

_Iyn nin- My sons_

0-0-0-0


	5. For Thou Art With Me

With a groan, Estel tried to push himself to his feet. The near crushing weight on his back, combined with the searing flash of pain that ran up his left arm quickly foiled this attempt. He groaned once more, feeling the full impact of a grown warg on his back. It was difficult to breath in such a postion. Not only because his ribs were rapidly being squashed, but because of the smell.

Ignoring the pain in his arm, the wiry teenager quickly wriggled and twisted, almost desperate to escape his stifling confinement. It took several minutes, but he eventually succeeded in dragging himself from under the body of the warg.

Exhausted, he leaned against the side of the pit, trying to catch his breath. He glanced at the warg once, swallowed hard, and quickly looked away. It wasn't a pretty sight. One of the branches that had concealed the hole had pierced the animal as he fell, stabbing all the way through his loathsome body. A bit of it stuck out through the coarse fur of the creature's back, like a javelin.

The sight made the young boy almost ill. Not for any concern for the warg…but he realized how close he had come to being skewered as well. It was not a pleasant thought.

Estel quickly pushed such thoughts away, turning his mind to the problem before him. How was he to get out? Though the pit was not _very_ deep, the edge was still several feet above his head.

The boy dug his right hand into the side experimentally. The dirt gave beneath his fingers, allowing him to scoop out a handful.

The inklings of an idea formed in his mind.

0-0-0-0

"Estel."

Elrohir gazed at his older brother with a mixture of confusion, and hope. "Elladan, the dream we shared so long ago…could Estel be alive?" His grey eyes begged his twin to confirm what he wished to be true. "Dan?"

Elladan leaned his head back against the tree he and his brother were tied to. He sighed softly and closed his eyes. Both of the twins were bruised and bloody, but not to an extent where they would need a great deal of healing. The orcs had done their job well. Elrond's son's felt weak and ill from the injuries they had sustained, but both were quite capable of traveling.

The dark haired elf sighed once more. "I don't know." He wanted to believe that Estel was alive…Valar! He would give anything to know that his little brother still lived! But…neither he nor his brother had ever experienced their father's level of foresight. And the dream had been so long ago. It could be that Estel was alive.

Or it could be just a dream.

Elladan felt tears prick his closed eyelids. "I don't know."

0-0-0-0

Estel winced and gasped as he dragged himself up another foot. For the past half hour he had been slowly hoisting his body up out of the pit, digging his hands and feet into the soft soil and climbing like a monkey.

Had he not been injured, he would have been up and out in less than five minutes. His left arm was slowing things down considerably. 'Oh really!' a small voice (that sounded remarkably like Elladan) spoke up from the back of his mind. 'I thought injuries would speed things up a bit…'

"Shut up," Estel snarled through gritted teeth, digging his injured arm in once more and pulling. The pain that shot down his limb nearly made him cry out, but he clenched his jaw tightly and continued.

Finally, with a last heave, the boy pulled himself up over the edge. He lay in a huddled ball for a moment, breathing hard and cradling his left arm. Cold sweat dripped down his forehead, and he realized with a vague sense of shame that he was very close to passing out.

Moving slowly, the wiry teenager carefully ran the fingers of his right hand over his injury, trying to ascertain the level of damage. He winced as he felt a sticky warmth. The wound was bleeding rather freely. Estel squinted down at his arm, but he simply could not see in the darkness that had fallen.

By some miracle, he had actually remembered to retrieve his dagger before climbing from the pit. Quickly, he drew it from his belt and cut a strip of cloth from his own shirt. It would serve as a rough bandage for the moment.

After winding the strip around his forearm and clumsily tying it with one hand, Estel pushed himself to his feet. He had to continue on to Rivendell.

Wherever that was.

A cold chill crept into the boy's stomach as he realized…he was lost. He did not even know which side of the pit he had crawled out of, and with the darkness, he could not see well enough to recognize any familiar landmarks.

'_All right, stay calm, your brothers taught you to navigate by the stars, remember?'_ Estel hopefully looked up to the sky.

It was cloudy. He could't even see the moon.

Isildur's heir swallowed hard, cast a fervent prayer to the Valar asking that they guide his steps…

…and blindly plunged forward.

0-0-0-0

"I doesn't look like we're leaving tonight, does it?" Elrohir cast disgusted eyes at the crowd of orcs, his voice barely more than a whisper of sound,

"Of course not." Elladan kept his expression veiled so as not to antagonize their captors, but his whisper was loaded with contempt. "The _yrch_ are _celebrating_. They must have their fun after all. And they won't travel in the sun, so I would count on staying where we are until tomorrow night."

Elrohir's eyebrows drew together as he thought. "Then we will have until tomorrow night to plan an escape."

A tight smile pulled at the corner's of the elder twin's mouth. "Exactly."

The two elves fell silent, both lost in their own thoughts.

Elladan felt his blood boil as he gazed at the orcs. Though their leader had declared they were celebrating the capture of two elf slaves, Elladan could see the truth marked across his ugly face.

He, in particular, was rejoicing over Estel's death.

Estel. The young elf lord forced himself to look away from the gloating expression Rashneg wore. Was the dream real? Was his brother still alive? Perhaps…just perhaps. He could not be sure. It had been a dream, and like all dreams, faded as the sleeper came back to reality. And yet, for some reason, he remembered it after all these years. He knew that the boy had been Estel.

But what did that mean? Maybe Estel way lying in a hole somewhere, dying, needing help…maybe it was too late.

0-0-0-0

Maybe, maybe.

Thoughts very similar to his twin's raced through Elrohir's head. The shared dream teased him, sparking his hope, but giving no substance to rely on. Nothing firm or concrete to grasp at. Just a whisp of a dream. Insubstantial and fragile.

For the first time, the dark haired elf wished for his father's gift of foresight. He had never before wanted such a thing. He could see how heavily the burden lay on Lord Elrond at times. He had seen the sadness that would creep into the gray eyes…or the weariness. There were moments when he knew his father wished for nothing more than to flee his gift and sail to Valinor.

But now the younger twin yearned to know what had happened to his brother. Whether good or bad, he simply wanted to know.

0-0-0-0

Estel blinked rapidly, half convinced he was seeing things.

Half expecting the flicker of light he saw before him to fade and die. But no, it remained, burning steadily. A fire.

The slender youth felt a surge of hope. While it was not Rivendell, perhaps whoever lit this fire could help him. The humans who lived near the elven refure were friendly for the most part. Most of them appreciated the protection afforded by living close to the elves.

Of course, these could be bandits…Estel bit his lip. Eventually, he decided to get closer and catch a glimpse of whoever these people were. Once he knew, he would decide whether or not to appeal to them for help. A small smile flickered over the boy's face for an instant. Three years ago, a hobbit accompanied by Gandalf and a group of dwarves had rested in Elrond's home. Estel had learned from their tales not to go rushing toward any old fire!

He could hear voices now…faintly. Very faintly. For some reason, instead of cheering the youth, he felt a shiver of dread race down his spine.

0-0-0-0

Elrohir squinted slightly, his eyebrows drawing together in confusion. The orcs had lit an enormous bonfie as part of their 'celebration'. For a moment, he could have sworn he had seen something move in the shadows beyond the fire's light. The young elf lord blinked and shook his head. The flickering light must be playing with his vision.

"What is it?" Elladan glanced sideways at his brother. "What is the matter?"

"Nothing," Elrohir replied in a distracted tone of voice, his eyes straining to see beyond the fire's orange circle.

"Liar," Elladan scowled impatiently. "If it were nothing, you would not be looking for something."

"Fine, you are right. I lied."

The was a moment's worth of silence. Elladan's scowl deepened. "And?"

"And what?"

The elder twin sighed deeply. "Were my hands free, I would strangle you."

Elrohir grinned. "No you would not."

"Would you like to find out?" Elladan asked darkly. "If not, I suggest you tell me what you were looking for."

"Really, _Gwanor_," Elrohir protested. "It was nothing…That is, I thought I saw something move there," The twin tilted his head, indicating what direction to look. "But it was _nothing_. Just the fire light playing tricks on my eyes."

Elrond's eldest looked doubtfully at the patch of woods Elrohir had been gazing at so intently. "I am not so sure…I thought I saw something as well…" His words came to a halt, as though he was reluctant to say more.

Elrohir sighed softly and leaned his head back against the tree trunk. "_fim a linte?_" he asked softly, desperately hoping the answer would be a negative.

Unfortunately, his hope was in vain.

Elladan nodded briefly. "_Fin mor,_" The elder twin replied grimly. "_Hen celebrin._" For a moment, a spasm of frustration twisted the elf's features. "_A ar gelydh._"

The two groaned in unison, the word on their lips floating out into the night.

"_Estel_."

0-0-0-0

Estel watched the orcs cavort around their fire, his expression almost rock like in its impassiveness. This merely served to strengthen the theory he had come up with.

Obviously, the Valar hated him. Though why they must hate him so incredibly much he could never quite fathom. After all, it wasn't as if he ever tried to do anything to offend them. On purpose, anyway. Perhaps he was being punished for the sins of his ancestors.

Who were his ancestors, the boy wondered sourly, and what could they have possibly done to cause such wrath to be poured out on _his_ head? '_Whatever it was,'_ he thought desperately, '_it wasn't my fault!'_

Slowly, he backed away into the shadows, hoping to put some distance between himself and the creatures before he broke into a run.

"_Estel_."

The youth froze, sweat breaking out on his forehead. He could not have heard his name. It had to have been a trick of the wind. It had to be.

His silver eyes raked the circle of the fire's light. Searching. He knew that the light would effectively blind the orcs should they try to look into the darkness surrounding them. He was hidden from their view.

It had to be a trick…he couldn't have heard it.

There. His eyes rested on the two being he had been searching for. A wild desire to be violently ill, or faint seized him. He swallowed hard and pushed the urge away, knowing that any sound could betray him.

Slowly, ever so slowly, he allowed his knees to buckle until he was sitting on the forest floor, his silver eyes fastened on two dark haired elves. Tears blurred his vision, and he did not stop them from spilling down his cheeks.

His brothers…oh his brothers…

It was not the ropes that horrified him so completely, nor even their inuries, but the looks on their faces. They were without hope. An almost tangible air of defeat seemed to emanate from their normally proud forms.

Estel's lips began to move, his mouth forming words with no sound as tears rolled down his face, their salt stinging his wounds. "_Nai, gwenyr nin! Man na hi dae aeg?_"

Resolve filled the youth as he straightened slightly. A spark of light woke within his eyes. Carefully, he rose to his feet and retreated further into the woods, the whisper of a promise hanging in the air behind him.

"_U-dregathon ar le, gwenyr nin._"

0-0-0-0

Rashneg yawned widely, revealing a mouthful of rotten teeth. It had been a good night. The orc leader felt contented and sleepy, his wits dulled by the large amount of orc liquor he had consumed. They would stay here through the day. Now that he had a gift to assuage his king's wrath, the orc saw no need to force himself and his soldiers to travel through the sun's light.

He hissed slightly as he gazed at the sky. It was brightening quickly. Already the dark blue of night had been replaced with gray, and there was a hint of red on the eastern horizon that Rashneg did not like.

The orc captain lazily snapped at two of his soldiers nearby, commanding them to watch over the elves. "You can wake someone else at midday," he snarled as they protested.

Rashneg grinned widely as he watched the two sulk over to the prisoners. Everything was going perfectly. He had captured two elves. The human with the disturbing eyes was dead. Never mind how many of his command had died as well. It wasn't important.

Feeling well pleased with himself, the orc rolled over, covered his face against the sun's rays and fell into a deep sleep.

Perhaps he would not have slept so deeply had he looked into the tree's shadows behind him.

Silver eyes blinked from the depths of the wood, the new sun sparkling in their gleaming surface.

0-0-0-0

Estel shifted, rising from his crouched position. The boy winced slightly as blood rushed to his feet, waking them from the sleep they had fallen into several hours ago.

Still, the throbbing tingling pain was nothing compared to the pain in his arm.

Just the thought seemed to send a fresh wave all the way up to his shoulder. The slender youth bit his lip hard, forcing a cry back down his throat. He could not afford the luxury of making a sound. Even if the orcs were to inebriated to hear, the warg would catch him out.

Ah yes. The warg.

Estel shuddered. He did not relish the though of facing another of the evil creatures. Silver eyes flickered back and forth, taking in the entirety of the orc's camp. Most of the foul beings were already asleep, their snores warning anyone within a mile's radius of their presence. In fact, only the two gaurding his brothers were still fighting against the soporific effect of the orc liquor they had consumed. Estel was relieved to note that the warg was caught in slumber as well, and as far away from his brothers as possible. Thank the Valar for small favors. Or perhaps, he thought with a humorless smile, they figured the owed him one.

His arm throbbed again, forcing a small gasp through the boy's lips. An odd chill shook the wiry teenager. His teeth chattered slightly until he ground them together. What was wrong with him? He felt so cold…one slender hand swiped at his face and came away dripping with sweat.

Sweating, yet chilled…the symptoms struck a chord within Estel's memory. Something he father had taught him about fevers… '_No,'_ the boy thought desperately, his hand automatically reaching for his arm. '_Not now! Please oh please oh please not now!'_

His fingers shook slightly as he tugged at the makeshift bandage. '_Please, please, please…'_

Haste did not combine well with gentleness, so Estel was forced to sacrifice one for the other. Biting his lip hard, he unwound the cloth strip quickly and roughly. The pain brought tears to his eyes. Blinking them back and breathing hard, he looked down… '_Please…'_

The sight that met his gaze made him swallow hard and rebind the wound. . Definitely infected. It needed to be washed and sterilized as quickly as possible. The best way to do that would be to cauterize it…the youth winced as he knotted the bandage.

It would have to wait. Estel cradled his wounded arm close to his body, unconsciously hunching his shoulders in an attempt to stave off a chill that had nothing to do with the weather. He had gotten his brothers into this mess.

And he would get them out.

0-0-0-0

Elladan watched as the orc guard's head drooped lower and lower, only to be jerked up again as the miserable creature caught himself. The other orc had already succumbed to a heavy sleep. His snores joined those of his comrades.

The dark haired elf was sure that the sound would soon drive him mad.

Something moved at the edge of the trees. Elladan felt his heart leap into his throat as he realized what that something was…

Estel crept from the shadows of the wood, looking very much the worse for wear. His face was bruised and scratched, his left arm crudely bandaged and held close to his body. A dagger was held at the ready in his uninjured hand.

'_Valar, he cannot be serious!'_ Through great effort of will, Elladan forced his features to remain calm. The young elf lord bit hard on his lip and watched in agony as Estel crept across the orc camp, almost tip toeing through the tangle of sleeping troops. Elladan desperately wished to close his eyes. Any moment now Estel's adolescent clumsiness would establish itself. He would trip, fall across one of the orcs and then it would be all over.

"_Elrohir,"_ Elladan whispered out of the corner of his mouth. It was less than a breath of sound. Far too quiet for the nodding sentry to hear. "_Tiro._"

"_Man na den?_" Even as he asked the question, Elrohir was turning his head to look in the direction his twin was staring.

Elladan nearly groaned as he saw Estel stumble slightly. "_Gwanor vin._"

0-0-0-0

Estel caught his brothers' gaze and tried to grin through the chills that shook his slender frame. Elrohir swallowed hard, his gray eyes wide with horror. Elladan did not look too please either.

With an effort, the young boy pulled his attention away from his brothers and focused on the task at hand. Namely, getting close enough to the sleepy guard to stab him without drawing his, or any other orc's attention. So far everything had gone well. He had made it across the camp succesfully and was almost within striking distance of his target…

Estel raised his dagger high, preparing to bring it down with killing force. He took another step…

…and tripped over his own feet. The unfortunate boy fell forward into the sentry with a strangled sort of gasp.

By some stroke of sheer luck, the outstretched dagger plunged into the back of the orc's neck, severing his spinal chord and killing him instantly. Not to mention, silently. Orc and youth fell to the ground together. For several moments, Estel lay perfectly motionless, his eyes wide as he tried to stem the shriek of pain that fought to rip from his throat. He had fallen with his left arm curled around his midsection, trapping it between his body and his enemy's. The pressure on the wound was nearly unbearable.

Remarkably, he managed to stay silent.

Estel finally pushed himself to his feet, his dark hair plastered to his forehead with sweat, his face drawn and white. With a grimace of distaste, he pulled his dagger free and staggered toward his brothers.

0-0-0-0

Elrohir felt nearly sick with tension as he watched his little brother rise. Had the youth been an inch to the left or the right, or had he been a little farther back before he fell…The young elf lord shuddered.

The dagger quickly hacked through the twin's bonds, setting them free. For a moment, the two elves looked at their brother, an undefinable emotion playing across their faces.

As if reacting to some secret signal, they both embraced him tightly. "Idiot," Elladan whispered even as his arms tightened. "Fool," Elrohir agreed, tears stinging his eyelids. His brother was alive…alive and well…

Estel gasped.

Perhaps not.

"_Man na den?_" Elrohir heard his brother's pained intake of air and quickly drew back. His sharp eyes darted over the youth's frame and came to rest on the crudely bandaged arm. Before Estel could stop him, the elf was unwinding the wrapping.

As the wound was revealed, Elladan's hand flew to the boy's forehead, his gaze taking in the shivers that shook the teenager and the sweat standing out on his pale face. "A fever. We have to get you back to Rivendell as quickly as possible."

Estel acquiesed with a nod, his teeth chattering so hard it would have been difficult for him to speak.

As Elrohir swiftly tore a strip from his own (slightly cleaner) tunic, Elladan picked his way across the camp to retrieve his and Elrohir's weapons. As he stooped to collect his sword, the oddest sensation assailed him.

_They should attack now…kill the orcs while the vile creatures slept! It would be so easy…_

As quickly as it came, the feeling passed, leaving Elladan slightly shaken. He stared down at his own hand in confusion. It was wrapped around his sword's hilt so tightly his knuckles were turning white.

What was wrong with him? How could he even consider doing this? It would take too much time, and Estel did not _have_ time. Besides, if they woke, they would fight…

_Let them fight, he would kill…he would slay…_

"No." Slightly disoriented, Elladan shook himself, scooped up their weapons and made his way back towards his brothers. Elrohir had actually stripped his tunic off and wrapped it around Estel, ignoring their little brother's protests that he was just fine.

Elladan grinned wryly as he glanced from one brother to the other. Despite the added covering of Elrohir's tunic, Estel was shivering violently. His face was unnaturally pale, and decorated with bruises. Elrohir did not look much better. The handsome elf's face was marred with scratches, his normally neat braids in tangled dissaray. Patches of blue and purple made interesting patterns on his bare torso.

'_I probably,'_ he thought, grinning a little wider, '_do not look any more pleasant. Ada will be so pleased to see us.'_

"Come," Elladan reached out a hand to aid Estel.

"Shouldn't we do something about the orcs?" Elrohir asked quietly, his eyes moving back and forth over the sleeping foe. A hungry gleam kindled in his gaze.

A strange sensation fluttered in Elladan's stomach at his twin's words. Yes…of course they should do something…

_Kill._

Without truly realizing what he was doing, the dark haired elf handed Elrohir his weapons. His hands trembled slightly. They should do…something.

_Kill them all._

Like ripples upon a great pond, Elladan felt a surge of dark emotion spread throughout his being. He was familiar with this emotion, oh yes. _Very_ familiar. It had been a faithful companion to him and his brother these past 434 years. It was what drove them from Imladris every year on the first of _Norui_.

_Now. Kill them now! _

Blood pounded in his ears as Elrond's eldest raised his sword and turned towards the sleeping camp. Elrohir turned with him, an almost feral light burning in his gray eyes.

0-0-0-0

Estel saw the change fall over his brothers and felt his heart sink. Would he be forced to watch the slaughter once more? He felt sick at the very thought. He never wanted to see anything like that ever again.

The slender youth groaned softly as his arm throbbed mercilessly. It hurt so badly…but he would gladly have the pain increased ten fold, rather than watch that ugly look of joy cross his brothers' faces as they killed…as they took _pleasure_ in their slaying. It was grotesque! It was unnatural! It was not the elves he knew, and loved, and looked up to.

The world swayed dizzingly around Estel and he felt his knees buckle. He dropped with a plop onto the ground, trying hard not to black out completely. Where were his brothers? Why couldn't he see them anymore? Everything was spinning so fast…

"_Elladan,_" He almost whimpered, closing his eyes against the maelstrom of color that now absorbed his vision. "_Elrohir…gwenyr nin…_"

Darkness took him, and he knew no more.

0-0-0-0

"_Gwenyr nin…_"

The soft words shattered the twins' blood lust as nothing else could have.

Elrohir's head jerked around, almost as if he'd been stung, his eyes going wide as he saw his little brother's crumpled form. "Estel!" the word was barely a whisper of sound. The younger twin met his brother's gaze, recognizing Elladan's horror as a match for his own. Sweet Eru, they had almost done it again.

They had almost let their rage lead them to disregard their own brother's safety.

Elrohir almost hurled his weapons away from him and quickly knelt by the slender youth's side. With infinite care, he drew the young one into his arms, tears of shame burning his eyes. They had to get Estel back to Rivendell as quickly as possible. Obviously, their little brother's arm was worse than any of them had thought. He needed their father's care.

The younger twin had lifted Estel and was several steps away when he realized that he was not being followed. Surprised, he turned back…

…only to see Elladan, still holding his weapons, his gray eyes fixed on the orcs they had both sworn to destroy.

With a shock, Elrohir suddenly understood that Elladan still wanted to stay. He wanted to kill the vermin whose kind had taken their mother. Even more disturbing, Elrohir felt the pull of the old darkness as well. Even with his younger brother unconscious and wounded in his arms, he wanted to go back.

Had his rage truly taken such a hold on his soul? Did it seek to claim his twin as well? He glanced down at Estel's pale face, wincing as he saw the lines of pain still traced across it.

Who else did it wish to destroy?

And would he allow it?

"_Elladan,_" he said firmly. "_Túl. Estel aniron met nev._"

With a shuddering breath that sounded almost like a sob, Elladan sheathed his sword and strode towards his brothers. "Come," he said softly as he reached them. "Let's get him back home."

It may have been his imagination, but Elrohir would later swear that he felt an incredible weight lift from his shoulders as he walked away from his enemy.

Neither he, nor Elladan ever looked back.

0-0-0-0

_Fim a linte?- Slender and swift?_

_Fin mor. Hen celebrin. A ar gelydh.- Dark hair. Silver eyes. And without wisdom._

_Yrch- Orcs._

_Nai, gwenyr nin! Man na hi dae aeg?- Alas, my brothers! What is this fell shadow?_

_U-dregathon ar le, gwenyr nin._- _I will not flee without you, my brothers._

_Man na den?- What is it?_

_Gwanor vin-Our brother_

_Tiro- Look_

_Túl. Estel aniron met nev.- Come. Estel desires us two hither._

0-0-0-0


	6. Dwelling in the House of the Lord

Sunset poured ruby red light through dove grey tatters of cloud, coating Imladris in its' rosy hues. Usually, such magnificence could not have passed without some ten elves commenting on the sheer beauty.

This evening was different. Imladris was, for the most part, immune to natures' fine display.

Lord Elrond's sons, in particular, his youngest, usurped the attention that would have been spent admiring so beautiful a sunset. Estel had been missing for nearly two days now. The twins were absent as well…but then, yesterday _had_ been the first of _Norui_.

Elrond scowled as he paced his garden paths. More than anything, he was afraid Estel had gone with his elder brothers. He knew that neither Elladan nor Elrohir would have been so abysmally _stupid_ as to allow such a thing, but this would not have been the first time Estel had snuck after the twins when denied permission to accompany them. Worry creased the elf lord's forehead. Was it not enough that he had two sons risking their lives on a regular basis? Why had the Valar seen fit to 'bless' him with another?

"_Hir nin_?" A gentle hand touched the dark haired Noldo's elbow. Distrurbed from his thoughts, Elrond glanced at the elf standing beside him and wondered how long he had stood there without being noticed. "Yes, Glorfindel, what is it?"

Glorfindel grinned slightly. "I've been trying to get your attention for the past five minutes, _hir nin._ You walked right by me at least three times in your pacing."

Elrond smiled somewhat weakly at his seneschal's gently ribbing. "What is five minutes to an immortal? Do not tell me that Estel's impulsiveness has rubbed off on you too." The joke fell flat, almost immediately consumed by the overwhelming wave of concern that appeared on Elrond's face as he mentioned the name of his youngest. With a sigh, the lord of Imladris turned from his friend and resumed pacing. "Did you have something to tell me?"

Glorfindel caught his elbow, halting him once again. "Listen."

A frown marred the elf lord's forehead. "What…?" Then it reached him. It was soft, but there. An elvish voice, singing. Not unusual in an elven city, but Elrond recognized the sound.

"Elladan." Well, that was some comfort anyway. The twins were back early this year…perhaps they had discovered Estel and were bringing him home!

Elrond hurried from the gardens, Glorfindel at his side. A new fear began to assert itself ever so slyly as the Noldo made his way toward the sound of his son's voice. Why wasn't Elrohir singing? And why was Elladan singing something so…dreary? Usually, when the twins returned, their songs were of victorious battles. The clear notes that drifted through the evening air were almost…sad. Elrond felt his heart twist within him. Had something happened to Elrohir?

Without conscious thought, he quickened his steps. The closer he drew to the courtyard, the clearer Elladan's song became. It was an old tune…a lullaby Estel had been particularly fond of as a small child.

The worried father reached the courtyard just in time to see his sons enter it.

What was left of them anyway.

0-0-0-0

The sweet sad melody died on Elladan's lips as he saw his father's white face. The younger elf swallowed hard and wished he could look away. A pang of guilt made him wince. How bad must it have been for his father all these years? He knew Elrond watched them leave every year, and though he tried to twist away from the knowledge, he knew how much it pained his father. Because he was never sure of their return. How selfish he and Elrohir had been. They had been blinded by rage, but they had allowed it. Never once did they sit with their father and ask for help, though Elladan had no doubt that Elrond would have gladly given it.

"_Ada_," Elladan nearly croaked. "_Mae govannen._"

0-0-0-0

Elrond's eyebrows soared to his hairline. Almost simultaneously, he was seized with a mad desire to laugh. It was too ridiculous! The twins stood before him; bruised, bloody, and dishevled, carrying a stretcher between them constructed from two branches and Elladan's tunic, on which Estel was lying, and all Elladan could say was "_mae govannen._"

The Lord of Imladris shook the feeling off and quickly moved to Estel's side as the twins lowered their makeshift stretcher to the ground. Whatever mirth remained was swiftly driven away as he ran a knowing gaze over his youngest. Estel's face was pale, and sweat coated it liberally, yet he shook as though chilled. His eyes were screwed shut against the rosy light, and he was mumbling deleriously.

"It is his arm, _Ada_," Elrohir said quietly, his nimble fingers already unwinding the crude bandage.

Elrond's eyes went wide as he saw the wound. "Those are teeth marks. No," The dark haired elf swiftly held up a hand as Elladan opened his mouth. "Now is not the time for explanations, _ion nin_. I must get his fever down." Elrond caught Estel's frail frame up into his arms and straightened. For an instant, his grey eyes seemed to hold to each of his sons, embracing them with warmth and love, even if he could not put his arms around them at the moment. "See that your hurts are treated," He said softly. "I must tend to your brother."

0-0-0-0

Elrohir watched his father stride towards the house and he felt his heart lift. Estel would be all right now. The last few hours had been truly terrible for him, and he knew Elladan had suffered as well. To see their brother in such a state had been nearly heartbreaking. Especially when Estel had started to speak. Elrohir winced as he recalled the boy's fevered mumbling. He had been pleading, _almost_ begging the twins to take him home. Elladan's singing had calmed him somewhat, but it was not enough to completely ease the youth's state of mind.

Their blood lust had frightened him so badly…

"Glorfindel," Elladan's voice brought Elrohir out of his torturous thoughts. The elder twin looked grim and drained as he addressed his father's seneschal. "There is a camp of orcs about 3 hours ride from here. Would…"

"Elladan," Glorfindel raised an eyebrow in an uncanny imitation of their father. "Be serious. Neither you nor Elrohir are fit to go anywhere save for the healer's quarters! Your father would skin me if he even _thought_ I would entertain the idea of allowing you two out to fight orcs."

"We know," Elrohir said quietly. "That is why we are not going."

The golden haired elf stared at the twins for nearly two whole minutes. "I…what?"

Despite his guilt, Elrohir could not suppress a small smile at Glorfindel's dumbstruck expression. It was not often they could leave one such as this speechless!

"We are not going," Elladan repeated, his face twitching in much the same fashion as his twin's. "You are quite right, old friend. Not only have Elrohir and I slain our fair share of this particular group, I fear we would not be much help to you, battered as we are. That is why I would request that you take a patrol of our warriors, and deal with them."

0-0-0-0

Glorfindel stared from one dark haired elf to the other, half expecting one to say, 'just kidding'. The twins had not refused to hunt orc since before their mother's capture over 400 years ago! Could it be..?

Blue eyes nearly as piercing as Elrond's gray caught both young lords in their gaze. They looked…tired. Bruised and worn, both tunics missing, and filthy.

But the black rage that had held their souls for so long was gone. In its place was grief, and remorse.

Glorfindel felt a warm smile spread over his face and he had to resist the urge to start singing loudly. "Of course," he finally managed, happy that is came out fairly normal. As he turned away, the blond elf could not help humming a cheerful tune as he went. A great weight had been lifted off his mind. Every year, he watched as the twins left for their 'hunting', and every year he watched as their recklessness added to their father's sorrow. He had tried to reason with them, oh yes. As had nearly _every_ elf in Imladris. Nothing had done any good.

Strange, that a human boy could create such a change.

0-0-0-0

_Shouldn't we do something about the orcs?_

_Estel desperately wished he could shut his eyes to the carnage he knew would follow. The twins leapt forward, their eyes burning, weapons at the ready. Without hesitation they threw themselves at their enemy._

_The teenager cried out to them, pleading with them to stop. He could see what they could not. Their rage was taking hold of them…twisting them…the more they fought, the less they looked like Elladan and Elrohir._

_The more they fought, the more they resembled the very ones they sought to destroy._

_If they could just get home, Ada would fix them! Ada could fix anything. Estel called out to them again and again, until his throat hurt._

_The fighting stopped suddenly. There were only two orcs left standing. Estel's silver eyes darted back and forth desperately, searching for his brothers. What had happened? Where were they? He had lost track of them in the confusion._

_The orcs turned toward the boy, and Estel felt his eyes widen. The swords in their hands were elvish. Elladan and Elrohir's blades. He recognized them. A moments worth of rage rushed through him. How dare these creatures touch his brothers' weapons! But wait…_

_Their eyes were grey._

_Estel choked as the truth hit him. The two orcs leapt towards him, weapons raised._

_He screamed._

0-0-0-0

"Estel!"

0-0-0-0

_One of the swords bit into his left arm. It hurt so badly…it burned… _

0-0-0-0

"Estel, come back to me."

0-0-0-0

_Someone was calling him. The monsters blurred in his vision and started to fade. He was moving away from them, rushing towards the safe sound that called his name…_

0-0-0-0

Estel opened his eyes with a jerk. With the horror of the fevered dreams still upon him, he tried to rise. "_Ada_!"

"Shhh." Elrond's face appeared above him, his hands gently, but firmly pressing against his son's shoulders. "_Nin hi, ion nin. Îdh."_

The wiry teenager relaxed slightly, drawing a deep breath and letting his body fall back onto the softness of his mattress. Confusion creased the young boy's forehead as he recognized his surroundings. He was in his room, and it was late. Moonlight poured through his open window. His father sat at his side, one hand still resting on his shoulder. Estel smiled wearily at him even as he fought to make sense of this. How had he gotten back home? The last thing he remembered was seeing his brothers…

No. He didn't want to think of that.

Elrond must have seen the momentary flutter of horror cross the slender youth's pale face for his own creased into frown. "_Man na den, Estel?_ What troubles you?"

"Nothing, _Ada_." The boy turned his face away from the elf lord. " They are only dreams."

Elrond resisted the urge to press. He already knew somewhat of his youngest's 'dreams'. Nightmares, was more fitting. Estel had talked through his delerium, and the small glimpse that Elrond had was more than enough to bother him. What had happened out there?

At least the boy's fever had broken. His wounds had been cauterized, cleaned and bandaged while he was unconscious, and Elrond was thankful for that. He would not have wanted Estel to be awake for something so painful.

"_Ada_," Estel turned back towards him, his silver eyes gleaming in the dim light. "Elladan, and Elrohir…are they all right?"

The hesitant, guarded way Estel spoke his brothers' names set alarm bells off in Elrond's head. "They are fine," he assured. "Elladan has an arrow wound, and Elrohir some nasty warg bites, but neither of them were as bad as you were." The elf lord brushed a gentle hand over Estel's forehead, smoothing back the sweat soaked dark locks. "I was worried for you, Estel."

The boy winced. "I am sorry, _Ada_. I…I did not think." He _was_ sorry. Sorry he had ever set foot after his older brothers. The things he had seen haunted him, and he had the horrible feeling that they always would.

"Hopefully you have learned a lesson from all this," Elrond's voice was dry. "When I say I do not wish you to go, there is _usually_ a good reason."

"Yes, _Ada_." Estel blinked and yawned. His body was tired from fighting the infection. Sleep pulled at him, but he resisted. The threat of nightmares hung heavily on his mind.

"Sleep, _ion nin,_" Elrond said gently. "Your body needs all the rest it can take."

"Will you stay?" Estel murmured as his eyes started to drift shut. Perhaps the nightmares would not come if his father stood guard over him. "I …I would like you to stay, _Ada_." The boy almost blushed, even in his semi conscious state for such a childlike request, but he could not help it. " _mí fuin na…gurth._"

The last comment slipped from the slender youth's lips as he crossed the threshold from waking to sleeping. It disturbed his father greatly. The elf lord brushed his son's forehead tenderly, stroking his hair. "_Avo gor i mor. Nin hi._" Concern and sorrow furrowed Elrond's brow. What had his young one seen?

0-0-0-0

"_Ada?_"

Elrond woke with a jump, fearing that Estel called for him. But no. Estel was still sleeping peacefully. Morning light flowed through the window and brightened the room. Two elves stoood in the doorway. Though they were cleaned and their wounds taken care of, both the twins managed to look somewhat worse then they had yesterday evening.

"Elladan." Elrond smiled at his sons and beckoned them inside. "Good morning. What troubles you, _iyn nin_?"

Neither one said a word as they moved forward. Elrohir seated himself on the end of Estel's bed, and Elladan took his place beside him. Their faces were drawn and grieved. And…changed.

Elrond's eyebrows drew together as he looked from one to the other. These were not the same twins that had left two mornings ago. Nor, in fact, the same twins he had lived with and loved for the past 435 years. Something had changed.

Not that he didn't recognize them…but it had been so long since he had not seen that powerful blackness behind their eyes. It had been so long since he had not seen the need for vengeance that was twisting and warping his precious children.

So long…

"_Ada_," Elrohir whispered. "_Gohena…_" He stopped, a choking sound coming from his throat. Gray eyes burned suspiciously bright in his fair face. Elladan placed a hand on his twin's shoulder in support and opened his mouth as though he would speak, but he could find no words.

Emotions flooded through the elf lord with the force of a tidal wave. He was being overwhelmed. Could it be true? Years he had watched and felt the pain as the twin's black vengeance tore them further and further away from him. But now…

"_Iyn nin_! _Ai, iyn nin!_" Before they could move, Elrond lept from his chair and caught both young elves in a crushing embrace. Tears flowed from his eyes as he held his sons.

Elladan and Elrohir buried their faces against their father, as they had done when small elflings in need of comfort. They felt no shame as they shed tears of their own.

0-0-0-0

"_Gwenyr nin…"_

_Estel shuddered as he heard the soft syllables fall from his lips. He could see the two elves standing before him, their weapons in hand. Blood lust shone in their gray eyes. The boy wanted to weep. Where were his brother? Where were the elves that were so kind? So patient in their teaching, though his clumsiness nearly caused him to despair. Why did he only see what he wished to never see again? Why this…_

_Elladan and Elrohir stepped towards the orcs, raising their weapons. Though he knew what would happen, Estel called out again, hoping against hope that they would stop._

"_Estel." A familiar voice spoke next to his ear, and a hand squeezed his shoulder warmly. Confused, Estel turned…_

…_To see Elladan and Elrohir standing beside him. Elladan took his shoulder and gently, but firmly, turned him away from the scene of carnage. "No, Estel. It did not happen."_

_Estel was now even more confused. "But I saw you…"_

"_Almost." Elrohir's smile was tight. It softened slightly as he gazed at his younger brother. "We would have…had it not been for you."_

"_Me?"_

"_Yes." The twins eyes were sad, even though they smiled. Elladan squeezed his shoulder again, and let his hand drop. "You brought us to our senses, pen neth. Hannon le."_

"_Hannon le," Elrohir echoed gravely. _

_Estel stared open mouthed at his brothers. He had done this? Him? The human? The one who was eternally too young? The boy who knocked over vases and broke at least one very valuable item (or so Glorfindel claimed) every day? He looked up at his brothers in astonishment._

_Then he noticed it. The blood lust he had seen was gone. These were the brothers he knew once more._

_Estel threw himself at them both, his arms wrapping around their waists and holding fast. The twins embraced him readily._

"_Hannon le," Elrohir whispered against Estel's ear. "Thank you for bringing us back." _

**Finish**

0-0-0-0

Hir nin- My lord

_Ada. Mae govannen- Father(daddy). Well met._

_Nin hi, ion nin. Idh. –I am here, my son. Rest._

_Man na den, Estel?- What is it, Estel?_

_Mi fuin na…gurth.- In the darkness is…death._

_Avo gor i mor. Nin hi.- Do not dread the dark. I am here._

_Gohena- Forgive…_

_Iyn nin- My sons._

_Pen neth- Young one_

_Hannon le.- Thank you._

0-0-0-0


End file.
